The present invention relates generally to automobile axles and, more particularly, to an automobile axle having a lateral shock absorber. Side impact forces and horizontal stresses related to cornering are decreased by the present invention.
When a force is applied to a car in a horizontal direction, such as a wind load, a side impact, or the centripetal force around a corner, the force will be felt first by the tires and they will bend slightly. This may lead to undesirable accelerated tire wear. If the force is great enough, the tires may begin to slip on the pavement, resulting in a loss of control.
Various devices have been proposed in the art for reducing side impact stresses upon a vehicle. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not adequately absorb horizontal stresses such that tire wear is reduced and the damage from side impact collisions is significantly reduced.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a vehicle axle that absorbs horizontal stresses so as to make the vehicle ride better and be more responsive during evasive maneuvers, wear on vehicle tires is reduced, and the impact of a side collision is reduced. More particularly, it would be desirable to have a vehicle axle having a force absorbing member that biases the axle shaft outward and that absorbs horizontal forces encountered, say, when cornering or upon a side impact. Further, it would be desirable to have a vehicle axle having an axle shaft that slides within a main axle but resists axle recoil in the case of a side impact collision.